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Apple Seeds 'Snow Leopard Graphics Update' to Developers
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For people wondering how will 9400M change (also 320M) when this patch comes out?
Here is your answer: a lot.
This test was done with 13" MacBook Pro with following important specs, C2D 2.4 GHz, 9400M.
Before:
After Graphics update:
Here is your answer: a lot.
This test was done with 13" MacBook Pro with following important specs, C2D 2.4 GHz, 9400M.
Before:
After Graphics update:
They just put all display drivers on it from branch, Graphics update has slightly newer nvidia and intel drivers as far as I was told (driver version number is still same, and its unlikely that it will change even at release even if there is some major changes).
EDIT: nvidia drivers are not entirely bug free, SC2 ground turned to pink!
For people wondering how will 9400M change (also 320M) when this patch comes out?
Here is your answer: a lot.
This test was done with 13" MacBook Pro with following important specs, C2D 2.4 GHz, 9400M.
Before:
After Graphics update:
Can you tell me what files you used when you updated?
Yup (QA)
But... if you want to manually update, look for GeForce* drivers inside iMac update, they should have somekind of performance gain too.
You wrote that the 9400M would change "a lot". I tested a similar 13" C2D 2.53 GHz, 9400M running 10.6.4.
My specs didn't really change (left = before, right = after). Note: If I run the GLView program twice in a row, the 2nd values are always higher. Just something for folks to be aware of.
I only replaced the GeForce* and NVDA* kexts & bundles (8 total, I believe).
The versions in the 10.6.4 distribution were generally 1.6.16.11 (19.5.8f01), dated May 27, 2010 . The version in the iMac update was 1.6.18.13 (19.5.7f07), dated July 17, 2010.
For reference, for those who remember the direct-from-NVidia GTX 285 upgraded 10.6.4 drivers (I've also got a Mac Pro with a GTX 285, but some folks have used those drivers for other NVidia chips), those are version 1.3.4.0 (19.5.8f03), dated June 10, 2010. I have the kext from 10.6.3 but cannot seem to get the version #. I'm not sure if NVidia just rolled back to the driver from 10.6.3. The higher digits at the end (8f03) threw me off (vs 7f07 in the iMac update).
Attachments
Just downloaded the graphics card update via my developer account.
I am still at work and only installed it on my Macbook Pro i7 so far. When I return home I install it on my Mac Pro i7 with GTX 285 to test it.
Still need to find if there is a benchmark in Starcraft II. I think I will find the benchmark in the Steam games.
Does anybody know a site with benchmarks for the current graphics drivers so I can post the differences?
So far I only know barefeats but their benchmarks are often useless.
Also they also usually benchmark MacPro's with GTX 120's or even 4870's... beefier GTX285 are rare in their setups which is
best way to benchmark starcraft II is by checking frame rate, CONTROL+OPTION+F in gameplay
The 13" MacBook Pro either has a 2.26 GHz or 2.53 GHz C2D with the Nvidia GeForce 9400M, or it the Mid 2010 model with a 2.4 GHz or 2.66 GHz C2D with the Nvidia GeForce 320M. So there is no 13" MBP with a Intel Core 2 Duo @ 2.4 GHz and a Nvidia GeForce 9400M.For people wondering how will 9400M change (also 320M) when this patch comes out?
Here is your answer: a lot.
This test was done with 13" MacBook Pro with following important specs, C2D 2.4 GHz, 9400M.
Before:
After Graphics update:
However the aluminum Unibody MacBook (October 2008, later re-branded and updated as the 13" MacBook Pro) did have a 2.4 GHz Core 2 Duo and an Nvidia GeForce 9400M.
So what are your specs, and which computer do you have?
Hurr, I was trying it out with many computers at work, now when you mention about it, it was probably the old "macbook" but as they all looked same it was MBP in my mind
I was only looking system profiler quickly for CPU and GPU.
Nothing better. I used kext inside "MacOSXUpd10.6.4foriMacMid2010" the same story...
Gentlemen, I'll show you what else I fight. When I start SC2
movie
http://i.imagehost.org/secure/0674/20100514_3.mov
screen
It started with the beta....
I suppose all of you who used the pacifist method didn't replace the openGL.framework in System/Library/Frameworks?
If you didn't, then you may have missed half of the improvements and might be running into troubles.
Just saying. I haven't tried it.
If you didn't, then you may have missed half of the improvements and might be running into troubles.
Just saying. I haven't tried it.
I suppose all of you who used the pacifist method didn't replace the openGL.framework in System/Library/Frameworks?
If you didn't, then you may have missed half of the improvements and might be running into troubles.
Just saying. I haven't tried it.
anything else besides the opengl thingy?
In fact, the safest method would be to install everything from the iMac update.
That may be a pain in pacifist. Too bad one can no longer edit the "installation check" file that used to be located inside installation packages. Perhaps there's a way to disguise a random Mac as a 2010 iMac.
That may be a pain in pacifist. Too bad one can no longer edit the "installation check" file that used to be located inside installation packages. Perhaps there's a way to disguise a random Mac as a 2010 iMac.
In fact, the safest method would be to install everything from the iMac update.
That may be a pain in pacifist. Too bad one can no longer edit the "installation check" file that used to be located inside installation packages. Perhaps there's a way to disguise a random Mac as a 2010 iMac.
You can play around with Kext editing. Maybe you should head over to insanely mac and ask for some help?
Ah
Good call - I didn't really remember that until you brought it up and there's also OpenCL among other things. Hmmm. Risky? Maybe. I'll try it though. More later.
Edit:
I updated the obvious bits such as CoreImage, Quartz, and such.
There are some slight changes but we're talking so small that the slight improvements I got may have been received if I ran the test a few times without doing so.
X-Plane plays fine still as well.
I suppose all of you who used the pacifist method didn't replace the openGL.framework in System/Library/Frameworks?
If you didn't, then you may have missed half of the improvements and might be running into troubles.
Just saying. I haven't tried it.
Good call - I didn't really remember that until you brought it up and there's also OpenCL among other things. Hmmm. Risky? Maybe. I'll try it though. More later.
Edit:
I updated the obvious bits such as CoreImage, Quartz, and such.
There are some slight changes but we're talking so small that the slight improvements I got may have been received if I ran the test a few times without doing so.
X-Plane plays fine still as well.
It's working wonders on my 9400m macbook believe it or not, not exactly designed for performance either, yet i'm able to turn everything up, but shadow quality, and when i start up wow, i'm able to get about 21 fps in dalaran, which is MUCH better than what i was able to get with those settings previously, plus, integrated graphics has a RAM bottleneck by nature, so this is especially impressive.
EDIT: To clarify, with those settings, the game was not playable on my macbook before i installed the new kexts.
EDIT: On my imac with a Radeon HD 2600 Pro, i'm able to use ultra settings, v sync plus triple buffering, plus 2x multisampling in dalaran, and get about 17 fps average, HUGE improvement for this rather old graphics card. I'm probably going to turn off multisampling though, i was getting about 24 average without it, but it's notable how little the difference is now, compared to how multisampling used to destroy my framerates. GG APPLE!!
I doubt is supports "all" graphics cards, but I'd imagine it's going to support most, if not all intel mac graphics cards. Apple just has to implement the OpenGL changes in every graphics card driver they support, and i'd imagine that the changes will be largely the same between drivers for the same card vendor, so i can't imagine it would be such a big deal for them to support most cards. And then there's the fact that there isn't such a huge variety of cards that they would support in the first place, being macs and all.
So, any results for the NVIDIA 330M in the latest revision of MBPs?
Thanks in advance, everyone.
Thanks in advance, everyone.